KONRAD McKEE: This is Konrad McKee and this is a community news flash bulletin. Be on the alert for small groups of youth in yellow t-shirts who have been seen walking throughout Pinellas County. These groups have been identified as Pinellas County Community Youth Mappers. They are employed by Pinellas County to canvas the business community to locate and identify youth resources.
These youth, also known as mappers, walk into businesses with a survey and they ask questions about the business operations and possible resources they might have to offer the young people of Pinellas County.
The mappers have been met with a variety of responses both positive and negative. They have found this to be a challenge that they have readily accepted. Through the heat of the summer the youth remain motivated and professional. They do briefings that give them a chance to talk about their daily encounters. Our investigating reporter, Jackie Palfy, has some background information on Community Youth Mapping.
JACKIE PALFY: Thank you, Konrad. We have found out that these mappers have been given extensive training in work force preparation, team work, and conflict resolution. These skills are necessary for them to deal with the different responses they may encounter from businesses in the field.
They also receive training in CPR, first aid, and daily procedures we're seeing. That week of training seemed to have been helpful for both youth and the team leaders. We asked a few of the mappers what they learned from the training.
PARTICIPANT: I benefitted from the first week of the program. Raul is showing us the different types of things that we will run into and, in a way, it helped us when we went out there because we did see those types of things. I think that's what helped me more than anything else.
PARTICIPANT: I benefitted from learning how to speak like us writing our introductions to learn how to do it fast so that people don't lose concentration on you.
PARTICIPANT: I learned how to talk to business owners. Instead of going in there with an attitude or whatever, I learned that you should go in there professional and talk to them with professional talk.
JACKIE PALFY: The data that the mappers are collecting will be analyzed with the goal to target resources and provide the community with information to help strengthen their neighborhoods. This will promote healthy development of youth and caring communities in Pinellas County. We also asked them based on their experiences what kind of changes would they like to see in our community.
PARTICIPANT: I'd like to see changes as far as how business owners treat teenagers and kids. I think that everybody should be equal regardless of their age, color, race, whatever. I would like to see more programs and resources out in the community for teenagers whereas they won't have to spend their time after school just hanging out on the corner doing whatever. They can actually have something to do.
PARTICIPANT: I would like to see a lot of businesses be more youth friendly instead of just like turning us down constantly. I mean, we have our good days and bad days but some people just don't understand us as much as like we understand them.
PARTICIPANT: The changes I would like to see in my community is that youth getting out doing something. Instead of staying home and watching TV and listening to the radio they can have fun outside the house.
PARTICIPANT: I would like to see people become more friendly to youth. Most people are friendly but it would be better if there were more people. Some people are just down right rotten and think that like we're inferior and we don't know how to think but I think we are starting to change people's minds about youth by going in with a professional attitude and getting the job done.
JACKIE PALFY: That's it from here. Back to you, Konrad.
KONRAD McKEE: Thank you, Jackie. I've just been handed additional information on Community Youth Mapping. This program has been made possible through a grant from the Juvenile Welfare Board. The program has been implemented through Pinellas County 4-H.
The focus is on work force preparation with a goal to identify youth resources and strengthening neighborhood associations through youth/adult partnering.
Together the effort will identify community assets and allow them to build on it. The city of St. Pete has made it possible for Family Resources, Inc., to map the city by funding the grant themselves. It appeared that participating in Community Youth Mapping the youth learn many skills that will benefit them in the future.
Community Youth Mapping will not only impact the youth and businesses but the entire county. We will continue to provide further updates on Community Youth Mapping as they come in.
This has been Konrad McKee with a community news flash bulletin.
